Highway traffic signal



y 1942- F. KINCANNON 2,289,369

- HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, SIGNAL Filed Sept. 27, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 1 M 30 v lo E? I Inuen ior Z7 Ewan Mimdnaoh W fim A ftorneys July 14, 1942. v F. KINCANNON 2,239,369

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SIGNAL Q I Filed Sept. 27, 1958 3 heets-sheet 2 d Inventor A Funk flhcamwn 'p m Mfim Attorneys July 14, 1942. FqklNCANNON 2,289,369

HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Sept. 27, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 TPIV/VSFdRfif/ TRANSFORMER 4f m i 3 Inventor Earl, m'nca khan Attorneys Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFICE 2,289,369 HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SIGNAL Frank Kincannon, Jackson, Miss.

Application September 27, 1938, Serial No. 231,964

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to trafiic signals for streets, highways, and the like and has for its principal object to provide a device of this character adapted for mounting at street intersections and embodying a hand movable around a dial simulating a clock, one-half of said dial comprising a green illuminated segment and the other half of the dial comprising a red illuminated segment arranged for opposite energization whereby the movement of the hand around the dial will indicate to pedestrians and traffic the approximate length of timeremaining before a change will occur in the traffic signal.

A further object of the invention is to proq vide electro-magnetically controlledmechanism associated with the traffic signal for moving the hand in a step-by-step movement in a manner simulating the movement of thesecond' hand of a clock.

A still further object is to provide a traffic sigr nal of this character embodying a rectangular casing providing for right angle faces upon each of which one of the dials and hands is mounted and in which the hands at the respective opposite sides of the casing are arranged uniformly" this character of simple and practical construction, which is neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install in operative position and otherwise well-adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the hand operating mechanism,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the signal housing and 1 Figure 4 is a similar view showing a modified form of dial.

Figure 5 is a diagram of the electric circuit controlling the alternate energization of the red and green tubes and signals.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodimentof invention, the

numeral 5 designates a substantially rectangular frame supported in an upright position upon a standard or post 6, said frame embodying vertical sides I, a top 8 and bottom 9. A vertical shaft It is journaled at 'its opposite ends in the upper and lower frame members 8 and 9 and upon said shaft is keyed a ratchet wheel II and a bevelled gear l2. The ratchet wheel II is adapted for actuation by a pawl l3 pivotally mounted upon a pair of spaced parallel arms l4, both of said arms being swingably supported upon a pin [55 secured in bosses Hi to one of the vertical frame members I, the opposite end of said arm terminating in operative association with respect'to a pair of electro-magnets I1 secured to the opposite vertical frame member 1.

Energization of the electro-magnets I! will operate to attract the free ends of the arms l4 whereby the pawl I3 will rotate the ratchet II in accordance with such movement of the arms. The electro-magnets I! are contained Within an electric circuit I8 in which a circuit breaker (not shown) of conventional construction is also connected for controlling the electro-magnets from a remote point, said circuit breaker being of a type adapted to impart sixty impulses per minute, more or less, depending upon the speed desired for rotating the shaft In.

A spring-pressed dog I9 is also mounted upon the pin l5 and having engagement with the ratchet wheel H to prevent reverse movement of said wheel. A coil spring 21] is interposed between a fixed extension 2i on the frame 1 and one of the arms [4 to move the free end of the arm out of engagement with the electro-magnets, when the latter are de-energized.

A bearing bracket 22 is secured to each of the vertical frame members 1 Within each of which a shaft 23 is journaled, the inner end of said shaft having a bevel gear 24 keyed thereon for engagement with the bevel gear l2 and the outer ends of said shafts are provided with hands or pointers 25.

A pair of arms 26 extend horizontally from opposite sides of the lower frame member 9 at right angles thereto, each of said arms being provided with upstanding ends 2'! and to which bearing brackets 28 are secured. Shafts 29 are journaled in each of said brackets, the inner ends of said shafts having a bevel gear 30 keyed thereon and positioned in engagement with the bevel gear [2 and the outer ends of said shafts have hands or pointers 3| secured thereto.

The frame 5 and mechanism carried thereby, except the hands 25 and 3|, are enclosed Within a housing 32, said housing having right angle walls to the inner face of which the bearing brackets 22 and 28 are secured to support the respective hands 25 and 3| outwardly with respect to said housing.

To the outer surface of each of the walls of the housing 32 are secured a plurality of neon light tubes 33, said tubes being arranged in circular form separated at the tops and bottoms thereof and arranged to comprise a pair of concentric red light tubes 34 and a pair of green light tubes 35, said tubes cooperating to form a dial around which one of the hands is adapted to move. Above the dial is positioned a warning indicia 36 comprising the word Stop, the letters of which are likewise formed, of red neon light tubes and beneath the dial is positioned a warning indicia 31 comprising the word. Goi

formed of green neon light tubes.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, portions of the outer semicircular-neon tubes forming. the dials are offset as shown at 38 at regularly spacedintervals to simulate integrations.

As illustrated in Fig; 1 of the drawings the pair of handsat the respectiveopposite sides of the housing 32 are arranged opposite from the remaining hands in order that the hands at two sides-of the housing-will appear in association with the green neon light tubes while the opposite hand will appear in association with'the red neon light tubes.

As shown in Figure 5 the-Stop and Go portions of the signal are-electrically connected in the circuit together with the red and green light tubes, respectively, in-order that all of the related' signal unitswill be simultaneously energized. Alternating current generator 39 supplies'current for energizing the redand green tubes. A circuit breaker 40 actuated by motor 4| serves to turn the current through the red and green circuit alternately. Numerals 42 and 43 indicate transformers required to step the current up to the voltage necessary for neon tube illumination. Direct current flows from direct current generator 44 through circuit breaker 45 to magnet 46. Circuitbreakers 40 and 45 are both operated by motor 4|. Ratchet wheel 41 is merely a suggested means of. operating circuit breaker 45.

It is obvious that the bevelled gear on the drive shaft of the signal must be larger thanits intermeshing gears which turn .the hand. Otherwise these five gears would interlock and would not turn. For purposes of timing the ratio of the drive gear to the four hand gears is constructed two to one. Thus if a device similar to ratchet wheel 41 is used for circuit breaker 45, it must have half as many teeth as the ratchet wheel in the signal in order that one revolution of the circuit breaker ratchet will turn the hands one revolution. The making and breaking of the direct current circuit alternately magnetizes and demagnetizes electro-magnet 46 which operates the mechanism as described. Switches 48 and 49 operated by a common lever are used in the event of fire or other emergencies. It will be noted that this interrupts the operation of the mechanism and turns the current through all red neon tubing. It will appear apparent from the foregoing that a circuit breaker is provided which delivers current to the red neon tubing through half of the revolution of the hand and to the green neon tubing through the other half of the revolution of the hand and at the same time makes and breaks a-direct current to the electromagnet which furnishes the motive'force for turning the aforesaid hand.

A brake device is employed for the shaft l5 to prevent accumulation of momentum which would tend to throw the several signals out of synchronization'and comprises an arm pivoted at one end on the pin l5 and provided intermediate its ends with a projection 5| having an arcuate face bearing against the collar 52 of the gear l2. The other end of the arm is yieldably held in braking position by a spring 53 mounted on a pin 54 secured to the frame member 1.

It is believed the details of construction and operation of the apparatus will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

In a traffic signalling device of atype having a plurality of faces arranged in the form of a square, a vertical post,a stationary frame supported thereon and including a vertical frame member positionedbehind each face, a pointer swingably mounted on each frame member in front of each face, a vertical shaft journalled in the frame, gears operativelyconnecting the shaft with the pointers, and operating means for the shaft to provide a. step by step movement of the pointers.

FRANK KINCANNON. 

